Potty Training Essentials for New Parents
This ultimate list of potty training essentials for new parents will help you breeze through potty training your child with relative ease. You’ve probably thought of the potty chair and some potty training books. However, there’s a whole horde of items that will help take the frustration out of the process and make potty training a breeze for you and your toddler child alike.
One of the lesser-known secrets about potty training is having the necessary gear BEFORE embarking on a potty training regimen. Stock up on these items and it will help make potty training a positive experience for everybody.
This post is all about potty training essentials for new parents. It may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more details.
The Basics
1. Toddler Potty: Consider where you want to keep the potty chair before purchasing one. Is it going to be in the bonus room or your kid’s toilet? Each room has its own space constraints and your own child’s physique also has a hand to play in this.
Another factor to consider is how many parts are in the potty chair. In general, more parts mean more areas to clean especially if you have a boy.
Best Seller: Baby Bjorn Potty Chair (Buy Now)
2. Faucet Extender: As the name suggests, faucet extenders create this extension for the water from your faucet to reach your toddler’s hands. When purchasing a faucet extender, look for something that is functional i.e. easy to attach, sturdy enough to support water flow and is lightweight.
Best Seller: Munchkin Faucet Extender Set of 2 (Buy Now)
3. Step Stool: I would highly recommend purchasing a step stool that can serve many purposes like when they help with food prep or want to take something from the fridge shelf.
In general, step stools that are sturdy, lightweight and stain resistant will last a long time. Another key feature that I look for is rubber lining (prevents from slipping) and portability.
Best Seller: Two Step Slip Resistant Step Stools Set of 2 (Buy Now)
For Bedtime
1. Mattress Protector: Hands down one of the best potty training essentials you can purchase for your toddler’s mattress. Mattress protectors keep the actual mattress stain or odor free for an extended period of time.
The mattress protector will also be useful well past the potty training stage because they generally offer protection from allergens, dust mites and pet dander
Best Seller: AirExpect Waterproof Mattress Protector (Buy Now)
2. Mattress Pad: If you haven’t upgraded your toddler kid to a full mattress yet, then a mattress pad is a good investment. They fit over the mattress and absorb any nightime accidents your child may have.
When purchasing a mattress pad, look for one that has multiple layers and is washable thereby increasing the reuse potential. It’s also a bonus if it isn’t pure white which generally stain very easily.
Best Seller: Mighty Monkey Reusable Washable Mattress Pad (Buy Now)
3. Overnight Diapers: If you find overnight pull ups aren’t sufficient for the night, you could purchase a diaper booster. They’re essentially extra pads that can be slipped inside the diaper to provide additional protection.
4. Sheet Set: Any decent sheet set with a 200 thread count or higher will work for this. In general, having multiple sheet sets at home is recommended so that you can wash one while the other is being used.
Most parents use this trick where they use two top sheets with a mattress pad in between on their kid’s bed. This way, the top sheet can be easily ripped off in case of a bedwetting incident. It saves a lot of time especially if this is at night.
Best Seller: Amazon Basics Kids Print Sheet Set (Buy Now)
For Travel
1. Travel Potty: I’m a big fan of travel potties that are easy to carry, easy to clean and have multiple functions. Ideally, I would plan the potty-training regimen to be on a weekend when you aren’t traveling.
Travel potties are great when you’re on extended road trips or spending a weekend outdoors like camping.
Best Seller: Honboom Portable Potty Training Seat (Buy Now)
2.Toilet Seat Covers: Another great option is to purchase a travel seat cover. When purchasing a travel seat cover, look for one that is portable and has suction cups for added grip on the seat. The last thing you’d want is for your kid to fall through a toilet seat at a dingy rest stop.
Best Seller: Travel Potty Seat with Suction Cups (Buy Now)
3. Wet Bag: Wet bags are another multipurpose product that can be used long after potty training your toddler. They can be used to keep wet swimsuits, shoes and even to keep breast milk containers on ice while traveling.
While potty training, use the wet bag to temporarily keep pee/potty diapers if a trash can isn’t nearby.
Best Seller: Bumpkins Waterproof Wet Bag Reusable (Buy Now)
4. Fibrous Snacks: High fiber foods like whole grain bread, green peas, coconut and apples are great options to keep as snacks while potty training your toddler. You should be able to get a majority of these from your local grocery store.
5. Potty Chair Liners: Potty Chair Liners or Potty Refill Bags are a great option for those road trip stops with no trashcans. These liners or refill bags are generally thicker than the average grocery plastic bag and also come with some absorbent liners that prevent the biggest dump or pee from leaking in your car. Beats using a grocery bag with holes in them if you ask me.
Best Seller: OXO Tot 2-in-1 Potty Bags (Buy Now)
For the Child
1. Cute Underwear: As I mentioned in my 3 day potty training guide, try to include your child in the underwear purchase decision. Let them choose their favorite designs or characters because it gives them some ownership over the process.
One of the most challenging aspects of potty training for kids is when they can’t pull up the underwear after peeing or going potty. Hence, look for underwear with elastic, stretchable material and have some decent butt coverage.
Best Seller: Simple Joy by Carter’s 8-Pack Underwear (Buy Now)
2. Easy Clothing: If you ask me, I’m more inclined to keep your kid in underwear all weekend during the main potty training weekend. On other days, just any outfit that doesn’t have a whole bunch of buttons or zippers will do just fine.
The key thing is that clothes should be easy enough for your child to pull off on their own.
3. Rewards: Children respond to things that are easy or garner them praise. Potty training rewards or chart are one such way to ensure positive reinforcement of good behavior when it comes to potty training.
There are plethora of rewards charts or printables. When searching for them, look for ones that can be personalized with your kid’s name and also allows them to be a part of the reward chart like stickers.
Best Seller: Customizable Potty Training Rewards Charts (Buy Now)
For Cleaning
1. Flushable Wipes: This is a personal preference item. If you’re fine with just hosing down the potty and then washing with hand, fine by you. If not, there is an easier alternative for it called Flushable Wipes.
When looking for wipes, try to purchase wipes that are biodegradable or non-synthetic in nature. These will not clog your toilet as much and will degrade quicker than normal wipes.
Best Seller: Kandoo Flushable Wipes for Kids (Buy Now)
2. Kids Soap: Try buying soaps that are organic and do not have any added chemicals or additives. Usually, these tend to irritate your kid’s skin and may cause skin conditions later on.
I don’t have a recommendation on a brand, whatever really works within your budget will do.
3. Soap Dispenser: Most parents tend to not realize this until the last minute but an automatic soap dispenser is one of the potty training essentials. It helps you save on soap but also not get your kid’s grimy paws on the soap bottle.
Soap Dispensers can also be used long after potty training especially if you get one that has an in-built timer to promote good hand washing hygiene.
Best Seller: Touchless Automatic Soap Dispenser with Timer (Buy Now)
You may not need all of these potty training essentials at once. As I mentioned in my 3-day potty training guide, potty training is a long game.
Toddlers do not have great bladder or bowel control and having essential items readily available makes the process less taxing on you. Moreover, the less frustrated you seem during potty training, the better the outcome for your toddler.
